RV Arctic, 2021

August 2021, we drove 8085 kilometers over 20 days from Vancouver to and from the Yukon Arctic Circle.

Sounds a bit familiar.

A mari ad mare ad mare

My second road trip across Canada completed our voyage from the Pacific to Atlantic, and finally to the Arctic Ocean. From sea to sea to sea, our journey teemed with adventure and memorable encounters.

Our destination lied North of Yukon territory, at the 66th parallel---aka the Arctic circle (approximately 66°30′ N). Our route up north follow the Dempster Highway, notoriously known as the "Car Killer." Built on permafrost, the highway is 700 kilometers of potholed gravel roads.

The unstable roadbed made the "living highway" bumpy and extremely muddy when wet. We went prepared, however, with gallons of gas in the back of our car and a set of repair tools.

We weren't really prepared for the mud, though.

Post Dempster highway, we used high-pressure water hoses to give it a thorough clean.

We rented a 25-foot RV that accommodated five sleepers. There was one ready bed and 2-piece bunk bed on top of the driver seats, where Mom and I slept. In addition, the table could be lowered and combined with the sofa seats to build a twin sized bed that was too short for my friend Howie. The RV was compact but comfortable. By the end of our trip, I was an expert at dealing with the water tanks and drainage system.

Tombstone Territorial Park Tombstone Mountain Park is 72 kilometers away from Dawson City and exhibits the overwhelming grandeur and desolation of the polar region.

We saw so many animals along the way!

On the road from No. 37 to Meziadin Park, we came across a roaring riverbank where a couple of indigenous fishers were catching salmon. I climbed down the rocky walls of the shore and watched them scoop at quick flashes of red with a deliberate swiftness, exchanging knowing glances and working together without sharing a word. Local sockeye spawn between July and October. In mid-August, they were at their prime.

I sat down and counted the amount of fish that was caught---the lady in the pink bandana was obviously the most seasoned catcher. I watched as the fishers released most of their catch--their basket was nowhere near full when we left. They took only what they needed from the river and shared their livelihood with nature.

Up at the shop, I tried their smoked salmon-straight from the cedar house-and bought some fresh filet from this morning catch. I grilled the salmon with olive oil and garlic with a light cajun rub, it went well with lemon juice-although-I'd suggest a bit of butter so the fat and juice can emulsify.

Signpost Park

In 1942, a homesick GI returning injured from construction of Alaska Highway came to Watson Lake Hospital. During his recovery he and erected a signpost that pointed in the direction of his hometown Danville, Illinois, 2835 miles away. The signposts snowballed and more and more visitors began hammering their license plates onto the posts, forming a dense forest of travelers' reveries.

We brought our own from Vancouver.

Liard Hot Springs

Between Watson Lake and Fort Nelson, we visited Liard River Hot Spring, a surprisingly popular bathing site for visitors and locals.

Residing on world’s "Ring of Fire" - the seismically and volcanically active land around the Pacific Rim - British Columbia boasts the majority of Canada’s hot springs. The water temperature is around 42-52 degrees and unsurprisingly reeked of rotten eggs. The stench is hydrogen sulfide, a gas produced from sulfur-containing minerals deep within the Earth. H2S only dissolves well in hot water found deep underground. However, it can't be dissolved when water rises and cools and is therfore released into the air, producing the putrid scent surrounding hot springs.

The City

Dawson City used to be the reknowned metropolis for prospectors pursuing the Klondike Gold Rush in the 1890s. "The Call of the Wild". Dawson City is small, the streets are neat and clean, and many buildings retain their rustic Queen-Anne-style exteriors from over a century ago.

Goldrushing.

Jack London's hut and museum are only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for one hour at a time. The legendary writer who lived only 40 years old also came to Dawson City for gold rush.

A copy of "The call of the wild" published in 1930.

The most notorious place in Dawson City is probably the SourToe Cocktail Club. In 1973, a captain named Dick Stevenson accidentally found a human big toe that had been broken off 40 years ago in a wine jar. On a whim, he decided to put the amputated toe in whiskey and bet to see who would have the courage to drink the glass of wine. By now, the liquor has graced the taste buds of 95,434 visitors. The standard for the old captain to issue the certificate is: "You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch the toe!"

The McBride Museum of Yukon History tells the history of Yukon's humans and animals, and the specimens are extremely realistic. I saw the second largest Moose in the world that was captured, and finally figured out the difference between Moose, Caribou and Elk.

Richard

His name is Richard and he is 68 years old. We met him on the Dempster Highway, he just walked 24km today and plans to cover 50km. He set off from Baima and had been walking for 18 days.

All his travel supplies are in a self-made car, which is pulled by manpower, no matter uphill or downhill, sunny or rainy. The year before last, it took him more than 260 days to walk from Beaver Creek in the far west of Canada to Cape Spear in the east. Ask him what motivates him to do this, he said, just want to challenge himself, just want to know that he is still healthy. Follow his FB: My Plot Pod.

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